Kia Oval worth £80m to the UK economy as Test gets underway
The Kia Oval is worth £80m to the UK economy, new research has found ahead of England’s second Test against New Zealand.
The south London cricket venue, sandwiched between Vauxhall and Oval tube stations, welcomed more than 550,000 fans in 2025 across Test matches, domestic cricket and the Hundred.
Over one quarter of those fans attended the five-day Test match between England and India, while the research – conducted by Two Circles – revealed that “Kia Oval in 2025 generated £82m in economic impact, comprising £47.7m of direct impact, £22.4m of indirect impact and £11.9m of induced impact”.
In all, Surrey County Cricket Club stated that it accounts for a £94m boost into the local community.
The county’s chief executive Steve Elworthy said: “It’s an honour and a privilege to host so many people at the Kia Oval every year and so to see the positive impact it has on the economy of the local area is very rewarding.”
Oval and out
While the Oval, which has the capacity to hold 27,500 spectators, saw its biggest contribution come from hosting their Test match against India 22 per cent of its contribution came from the Hundred, beating the 21 per cent gained through the Twenty20 Vitality Blast.
The research “takes into account what the Club, attendees and organisers spent during the events including on food, drink, transport and accommodation,” according to a statement, “as well as the knock-on effect of people attending events including secondary impact of supply chain for businesses.
Surrey cites a £10m contribution from media value and £2m from the social impact of the Oval.
“Test Cricket and The Hundred were the strongest drivers of attendance, overnight stays and wider visitor economy impact during 2025,” the county said.
The Oval will follow the Test match against New Zealand with an one-day international against Sri Lanka in September while the venue will host a T20 International between England Women and New Zealand women as part of the ongoing Women’s T20 World Cup. It will also stage the semi-finals of the competition.
